As allegations of sexual misconduct pile up against actor and producer Kevin Spacey, Netflix, the streaming giant backing House of Cards has decided to fire Spacey and sever all ties with him.
As allegations of sexual misconduct pile up against actor and producer Kevin Spacey, Netflix, the streaming giant backing House of Cards has decided to fire Spacey and sever all ties with him.
“Netflix will not be involved with any further production of House of Cards that includes Kevin Spacey. We will continue to work with MRC during this hiatus time to evaluate our path forward as it relates to the show. We have also decided we will not be moving forward with the release of the film Gore, which was in post-production, starring and produced by Kevin Spacey,” read a recent statement from Netflix.
MRC, short for Media Rights Capital, the co-producer of the hit series, has released a slightly cagey response stating that the actor has been “suspended”. Some believe that the frequency with which Netflix has distanced itself from Spacey implies that they had inkling as to what was going on.
According to reports, the allegations against Spacey became public as the final season of House of Cards was being shot. Two episodes from season six have been shot. In a report on the story, Hollywood Reporter noted that “the writers are actively reworking the final season, which was almost entirely written already, to write Spacey out. Sources expected production to be suspended for at least two weeks as the writers figured out a way to remove Spacey’s Frank Underwood from the narrative”. It is equally possible that the show is shutdown for good given the mounting allegations against Spacey who is “seeking treatment” for his horrific behaviour. Apart from being fired, Spacey has also been dropped by the Creative Artists Agency and his publicist, Stacy Wolf.
In related news, Hollywood heavyweight Jessica Chastain is batting for Robin Wright to takeover House of Cards in a post-Spacey narrative. Taking to Twitter on Thursday, Chastain wrote, “Can Robin Wright just be the lead of House of Cards now? We’re ready for it.”Fortunately it’s a view that resonates with many and if Netflix is ready to prove just how serious it is, in terms of being an industry leader, hiring Wright is probably the only way to go.
